The person who spoke was none other than the Persian beauty Efentiya.
The girl shouted with excitement: "The money, equipment, food and grass matters are all taken care of by me! Right, Uncle Duke?"
Duke smiled and nodded, and said to Li Jiangyao: "Sir, while the situation has calmed down in the past few days, I contacted Master Aimaiti and asked him to quickly transport a large amount of supplies to Metasequoia through the Persian Merchant Mission in preparation for The legion needs it from time to time. In addition, Mr. Situ and I inspected the supply relay stations located in various places. Most of them were not discovered by the Turks, and the materials stored in them were intact. As for the money, I would like to ask the lady to speak, she I have always been in charge, so I know better.”
Efentia proudly introduced: "Everyone, my father said before that Mr. Li had too many ransom deposits with him, and the interest accumulated every day made him a little bit overwhelmed. So, he exchanged some gold and silver coins. , are preparing to send someone to deliver metasequoia recently. I made a preliminary estimate that if we have 100,000 soldiers and horses, it will be enough for two to two and a half years of military pay. In addition, along with the gold and silver, there is also a A large number of Persian-made armors and weapons.”
"Those armors and weapons can equip an army of about 50,000 people." Duke explained in detail: "Master Emene has already greeted several Western Xinjiang countries and asked them for help. It is said that they purchase from Persia. Yes, the Turks shouldn't be aware of any problems, let alone make things difficult for them."
When the generals heard that they had money, equipment, and that the scale was so large, they all beamed with joy and expressed their gratitude to Efentia and Duke.
"Okay, next, let's talk about the third thing." Li Jiangyao spread out a map, pointed at it and said to everyone: "The four cities that have been lost so far are still garrisoned by Turks. Before Tanli Tell me, sooner or later they will hand over these towns to the Western Xinjiang Alliance for management. I think they will probably return them to our old friend, King Geerhan of Chechi. However, as long as there are Turks around, we cannot act rashly for the time being. And , these places have suffered brutal massacres, and even if they are recaptured, it will be difficult to restore them to their original state in a short period of time. Therefore, I decided to find another strategic fulcrum to echo the Metasequoia City."
Samor asked curiously: "Huh? Isn't this place you are referring to the Yarumqi Mountains? Our family's secret vault is there."
Li Jiangyao smiled and patted Kuliban on the shoulder, and said to Samour: "I have discussed with the young prince, and we will use the secret warehouse in the Yarumqi Mountains as our other fortress. The distance, although It’s a little far away from Metasequoia City, but the location and conditions here are very good. It’s a pity that it goes to waste.”
Du Jian said: "Actually, it's not too far. I took the grain transport team through it twice, and the road was still very smooth. More importantly, the terrain of the Yarumqi Mountains is dangerous and secretive. The location of the warehouse is extremely well chosen, which is particularly conducive to defense. Unlike our Metasequoia City location, which is located on the Silk Road trade route and is surrounded by open plains on all sides, there is basically no danger to defend."
Kuliban agreed: "Yes, the family has been running the secret warehouse for thousands of years, and all the facilities are very complete. Whether it is to station food or troops, it is very convenient. In addition, the mountain is steep, and there is no need to fear the Turkic cavalry."
"Furthermore, this place is located at the junction of several Western Xinjiang countries, and its strategic significance cannot be underestimated." Xu Youchang stared at the map and analyzed: "Look, from here to the north, it only takes seventy or eighty miles to guard the tower. The mouth of the Lun Valley completely blocked the Silk Road trade route; going east, it directly forced the royal court of Chechi, with no passes in the middle and unobstructed access; the three small Western Xinjiang countries in the south, Pishan, Wensu, and Yarkand, were all The main grain-producing area is also one of the most important sources of supplies for the Turks; less than 800 miles to the west is the Loulan Kingdom's military town of Umutik City. To capture it would be to take control of the Alik River. Half a life.”
Li Jiangyao nodded slightly: "So, standing on the Yarumqi Mountain, you can advance and attack, retreat and defend. When stationary, you can secretly hide tens of thousands of troops; once activated, it will be enough to shake the whole situation!"
Xu Youchang looked at Li Jiangyao and said solemnly: "Sir, leave this place to me. I promise to give you a rock fortress in half a year!"
"Haha, we both thought of it together. This is what I have in mind!" Li Jiangyao said happily: "This is what I plan to do. Princess Holia of Nanhua County will command the third army and be responsible for garrisoning the base camp Metasequoia City. The first army, The Second Army, the Fourth Army and my commander's battalion will be taken to the Yarumqi Mountains by you. With the cooperation of Du Jian and others, they will secretly train and prepare for war to create an invincible and powerful army for me!"
Du Jian responded from the side: "Boss, don't worry! Brothers are all aware of Brother Xu's abilities, and I admire him even more. I have nothing to say. As long as he gives the order, I promise not to discount him at all. In Yarumqi Train elite soldiers and sweep across the Western Frontier!"
Xu Youchang patted Du Jian on the shoulder to express his gratitude. Then he turned to Li Jiangyao and asked: "The princess only led the third army to defend Metasequoia City, will it be a little weak? Now the situation in Western Xinjiang has changed. The Turks are backing up Alekjan and Geerhan, but they are still trying to support themselves. If these two guys send troops to harass..."
Li Jiangyao smiled and waved his hands: "Don't worry. Don't forget that the dignified Baron Metasequoia that I am now was granted the title of aristocrat by the great Khan Ashina of the Turkic Empire. I am a genuine nobleman! If you think about it carefully, it’s not certain who the Turks are supporting. Besides, what’s the benefit of Alekjan and Geerhan coming to trouble us? They owe a lot of debt, how dare they go around causing trouble?"
The generals laughed loudly when they heard this, and Xu Youchang nodded repeatedly: "That's true. If they are looking for trouble, they can ask Efentia to come to collect debts and promise to be obedient immediately."
"As the saying goes, a penny can defeat a heroic man. The ancients never deceived me, haha!" Situ Wushou said with a smile.
Li Jiangyao laughed with everyone for a while and said loudly: "Okay, brothers, everything has been arranged. I hope you will unite and cooperate, fulfill your duties faithfully, and wait for my return with peace of mind."
"Waiting for you to come back? Where are you going?" Xu Youchang and others were slightly stunned when they heard this and asked subconsciously.
Li Jiangyao looked relaxed, shrugged and said: "According to my calculations, it will take at least another half a year or so before there will be earth-shattering changes in the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang. But before that, I think Let’s go back to the Central Plains first.”
When Xu Youchang heard that he wanted to return to the Central Plains, he hesitated to speak. Seeing that he did not speak, the others also temporarily closed their mouths and did not dare to speak.
Li Jiangyao couldn't help but sigh in his heart: If Lin Feng was still here, he would definitely pursue him to get to the bottom of it, or even object. Thinking of his lost comrades, Li Jiangyao felt a little sad, and explained patiently: "The envoys we sent to explore the wild trails and report to the Central Plains have been away from Metasequoia for a long time. Counting the days, we should return anyway. That's right. But until today, there has been no news from the three groups. Now that the war is in chaos, I am very worried about what happened to them, so I have to go there in person. As soon as the Turks began to move eastward, they opened up connections with the imperial court. The contact becomes even more urgent; secondly, the most accurate and detailed intelligence and analysis at present must be communicated to the Imperial Capital as soon as possible."
Xie Tanzhi said worriedly: "My lord, you are the commander-in-chief and the foundation of the entire army. You really shouldn't be in danger personally for such a reporting mission."
"Frankly, you should know very well that there is no other way, because I am the most suitable candidate." Li Jiangyao smiled: "I used to be the most powerful spy in the Pegasus Scout Camp of the Zhenjiang Protectorate. , the chief scout under He Datong. Flying across mountains and flying thousands of miles is a daily routine for me. Mountains, forests, wild trails, and pass fortresses are also familiar to me. And no one here knows the Turkic army. No matter how you look at it, the mission to the Central Plains belongs to me. I have been thinking about this matter for a long time, and I am very confident. You all can rest assured, we will take half a year Within this limit, I will definitely come back here on time and lead you elite soldiers and generals to regain the great rivers and mountains of our Holy Tang!"
Among the generals present, there was no trusted staff member like Lin Feng who dared to rebel against others, so everyone had no choice but to accept Li Jiangyao's determined instructions.
As soon as the meeting ended, Li Jiangyao immediately picked up his packed luggage. Under Xia Lian's reluctant gaze, he waved goodbye to everyone and embarked on his journey back to the Central Plains.
In fact, there was another important reason for his trip, which he did not tell everyone at the time. The reason why it was inconvenient to speak out was that he had to understand for himself what difficult situation was currently occurring within the Shengtang court, including the assassination of his mentor He Jingming. Otherwise, it would most likely affect his future strategy. Various judgments on deployment.
Shengtang is the foundation of the situation in Western Xinjiang. If this key factor is not thoroughly dealt with, the future will not be fully considered in one's own plans. It would be like a blind man touching an elephant and riding a horse in the abyss, violating the taboo of commander-in-chief's decision-making.
